


The Lake

by Dominura



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, General gayness, M/M, Tree planting, Wilderness
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-10-31
Updated: 2014-01-04
Packaged: 2017-12-31 02:31:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 16,531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1026226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dominura/pseuds/Dominura
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eren reluctantly joins Mikasa to go tree planting for their last summer together.  But when he strays away from camp he ends up getting a lot more than he bargained for.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. School bus

This wasn’t how I wanted to spend my summer. I wanted to get a normal job, maybe something part shitty and part time at the mall, but Mikasa has her ways of persuading me. 

“There will be lots of cute girls, and nature. You can work on that sad excuse of a tan of yours,” She purred at me over a bottle of champagne at the end of exams. As hard as I tried to decline, stating it was something she should do alone, there was something that stuck – this might be the last summer her and I have as a family. Our mother was dead and our father rarely comes around. Mikasa is all I have. I kept angrily mumbling that to myself as I focused on the dark crimson horizon trying not to throw up from a combination of car sickness and extreme humidity. 

“Who knew it got this hot in the mountains?” A male’s voice groaned behind me. It was that horse faced city-kid with the stupid haircut. He’d been trying too hard to chat up every person on this god-forsaken bus since this morning. I would have been partial to him if he hadn’t spent the first 3 hours butting into my conversation with Mikasa to hit on her at every opportunity. 

“Want to hear a joke?” It was horse face again trying to have a conversation with a shrimpy looking blonde kid.

“No, not really, Jean,” The blonde one replied, showing even more disinterest as he slowly turned a page of a book titled, ‘Fresh water fish of North America”. 

“That’s a rhetorical question, I’m not going to deny you of comedy,” Does this guy ever give up?, “So, there are two whales in a bar, the first whale says, “EEEEEAAaaaaaaYYYYOOOoooooouuuuuuUUUUUEEEAAAAA OOOOoooeeeEEEEIIIYYYYAAAAAAAAAOO,” He precedes to make whale sounds for a good minute and a half, downing out nearly every conversation on the bus in the process, until finally following with, “Then the second whale says: Go home, Steve, your drunk.” Silence. Though the stillness I noticed Mikasa, who was sleeping beside me let out a stifled laugh. I furrowed my brow as everyone else burst out in immature cackling. The heat must have got to them. 

“Okay, okay everyone simmer down,” A warm yet commanding voice came from a muscular male figure the front of the bus, “We’re about to approach the first camp sight. The communal areas have already been set up, you’re free to eat, its $5 per meal, and then set up your tent anywhere you like before getting some much deserved shut eye. Just as a rule, women are on the east side of camp and men are on the west side,” A low groan ran though the bus, he shot them an a glare, “Wake up call is at 5am, I think that is everything, if you need anything my name is Reiner and I’ll be located in the camper beside the first aid tent.”

On the 7 hour ride here everyone had acquainted themselves with one another. And the shuffle off the bus was filled with chatting and laughter. Mikasa had even made a friend, whom she was planning on sharing a tent with. I think her name was Annie or Anna or something like that. I on the other hand, had decided to camp as far away as possible. All these tree hugging hippies gave me the creeps. With my back pack hauled over my shoulder and tent bag in hand I leaped off the bus. The cool crisp night air greeted me like an old friend, my natural reaction was to pause and suck it all in. 

“Um,” A voice peeped behind me, barely entering my consciousness, “Can I get past?” 

“Oh, sorry,” I snapped back, allowing the small figure to pass. It was the guy Jean was making the whale joke to. His soft pale blue eyes smiled tiredly at me. Perhaps I hadn’t got a good look at him on the bus, but he had a really cute face. He looked as delicate as a baby bird, he hardly seemed the type to slave all day in the sun driving holes into the ground. I must have been staring too long because he tilted his head and gave me a puzzled look, “You alright?” 

“Yeah, I’m fine, I’m just tired,” I responded too quickly, I was already making a fool of myself but he shrugged it off. 

“That makes the two of us. Say, do you want to help me pitch my tent and I’ll help you with yours?” 

Coming from anyone else that would have sounded dirty, “that sounds good.” 

The camp was smaller than I had imagined it to be. There was a white canvas kitchen tent with a barbeque out front and a long table that had already accumulated a few hungry souls. A 70’s era RV parked beside a white tent with a red cross on it. A couple tanks of water on the back of a truck, and another large green military-style canvas tent with the lettering “supplies” written sloppily on the side. All in all, it seemed nice. 

“This is your first time out?” The blonde asked quietly as he led me to the edge of the clearing. The grass was much taller and thicker here. As far as it was away, I could still hear the clatter and voices from the camp. 

“Yeah,” I cleared my throat, “My sister, Mikasa, was really set on doing this at least once. She just had to drag me along.” 

He half smiled, “That makes you a good brother then.” 

“This is your first time as well I take it?” I asked as he lowered his tent bag slowly to the ground and begun mathematically taking out its contents. 

“Nah, what makes you say that?” 

I paused uncomfortably, “Um,” thank fully we were out of the camps light range, so he couldn’t see my cheeks burning. I opened my mouth about to say something stupid probably when he stopped me.

“It’s okay, It’s okay,” He waved his hands at me and laughed, “It’s my 3rd summer out actually. Tree planting is hard work. But if you pace yourself, just about anyone could do it.” 

“You’ll have to give me some pointers tomorrow,” I replied as we snapped in the last of the tents skeleton. 

“Orientation is tomorrow, Reiner usually does a really good job, better than I could,” He murmured the last part meekly as he peered into the tent, “But I could help you with your equipment, if you want.” 

“Really?” I peeped, “That would be great. Mikasa just rented this stuff, and I have no idea how to use it.” 

“It’s a deal then,” He yawned, stretching his arms high in the air. 

He finished putting all of his stuff into the tent when he stood up, he motioned to the camp as he spoke, “I forgot my pillow on the bus, I’ll go get it and we can do set up your tent, okay?”

“I think I’ll be okay, I’ve set up this tent a million times. I could probably do it in my sleep. You get some rest, um-“ I looked up at him, he smiled and extended a small hand. I hesitated to shake it, my hands were probably gross and clammy.

“Armin,” 

“Eren,” I shook his cold hand, before awkwardly grabbing my bags off the ground. 

“Good night, Eren,” 

“Yeah, see you tomorrow,” I shouted as we walked off into different directions. He towards the camp and the road and me into the bush. I couldn’t help but ponder over him, he seemed sort of strange to me. He’d been out here 3 times, probably all with the same group yet here he was setting up so far away. Even on the ride here I don’t think I could recall him talking to anyone other than horse-face. And I would hardly consider that talking. Bah. I’m one to talk, I went through high school in a small town without making so much as a single acquaintance. If it wasn’t for Mikasa, Lord knows what I would be doing now. 

The trees here were tall, old and majestic. Despite not having rained in over two weeks, according to my weather app, due the sluggish air flow and tightly packed trees the forest floor remained soft and damp. I’d spent more time outside than in, and I felt confident wandering this far into the forest in search of a private clearing. To my surprise, the forest came to a rocky abruptly stop. A lake. 

The air was warm, unlike the still cold air of the wood. I paused to listen. Only the sounds of summer wind through the trees were heard and crickets chirping. The mixture of jagged pebbles and earth crunched beneath my feet as I hauled my bags to a grassy clearing at the edge of the lake. The trees that towered over the opposite end of the lake left long glassy reflections that danced on its still dark surface. I dropped my bags hard, and slumped to the ground to suck it all in. The stars are vivid out here, it was beautiful and tranquil. As I set up my tent, which smelled of worn canvas and citronella, I hummed peacefully to myself. 

With everything set up, and my pajamas on I crept slowly towards the water. The edge on this side was built of jagged moss covered rocks. I carefully maneuvered myself to the water’s edge to peer in, but still making sure I keep my balance. With the gentle glow of the moon and stars I could see tiny bits of movement in the shelf under the surface. Past that tiny self the water seemed to reach much lower than I had thought. I carefully leaped to a closer rock to better gauge the depth. 

A splash. I turned towards the sound, bubbles were emerging between some swaying reeds. Fish, or a beaver maybe. I yawed briefly closing my eyes, there will be plenty of time tomorrow or in the next two weeks to scout the entire area. Another splash. This time a big one. Despite not having good footing I stood up, and peered at the large ripples. I’d seen fish and wild life splash about many times, but for some reason it spooked me. It felt like I was being preyed upon, like the eyes of a predator were fixated in on me. I wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. When my back was turned to the water, the hair on the back of my neck stood up - my suspicions were confirmed. The low raspy voice pierced the night like daggers, 

“Where the fuck do you think you’re going?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for suffering though that! I'm a pretty shit writer but I hoped you find something to enjoy in it. I'm pretty new at this so any feed back would mean a lot. Thanks!


	2. Fear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren has mixed reactions and thoughts about what happened last night. Armin is quick to take Eren under his wing.

I froze still for a second before my legs went jelly underneath of me. I slid off the mossy rock hopelessly into the water. It felt like a natural reflex to scream, both from shock and pain of skinning my knees and falling into the cold water. But my vocal chords were paralyzed by the water that flooded into my lungs. I flailed around hopelessly as I tried to grip on to something. Everything my hand grasped was covered in slime or ripped on impact. I’d been swimming more times than I could think, but here and now the thought that I could drown entered my mind. My body quickly grew weak and exhausted. I could feel myself falling deeper and deeper below the black surface. 

Without explanation I felt warm hands dig into my hips and throw me to the surface. The throw was so forceful that I flew high into the air before I landed hard the grass not far from my tent. I began coughing so violently in as a desperate attempt to pull the water from my lungs that my vision went blurry and I was sucked into darkness. 

“You look like shit,” Mikasa pointed sat across from me, shoving a messy plate of egg in a nest in front of me. 

“You know,” She pointed at me with her fork, hash browns in her cheeks, “Where ever the hell you camped, its way to far,” She gulped down coffee, “Armin said that you walked into the bush last night like a mad man. And he said he could barely hear the wakeup call himself.”

“Wait, you talked to Armin?” I replied with interest, but it came out as more of a groan. 

“You got up 30min later than everyone else, we were going to send a search party after you. He was the last to see alive for all we knew-“ She paused, her eyes narrowed to the figure sitting next to me. 

“Hey, um, we’re moving out soon, you, um, gunna, you know, um, eat that?” 

That last hours of my life had been a complete blur. I could clearly recall setting up my tent, getting changed and getting close to the water even. But when I woke up, sore and damp on the grass I couldn’t piece it together. When I moved pain surged though me my sides from hand shape bruises around my hips. What was worse was that I couldn’t shake this deep sense of fear. Fear that I couldn’t remember acquiring. I stared blankly at the plate in front of me, before sliding it to the side, “You can have it.” The pony tailed haired girl ate the entire thing in a few bites and passed out on the table – in what could only be described as a food coma. 

“Eren,” Armin called from behind me, an apple in his hand entered my vision, “You really should eat something.” I took it from him and slowly bit into its flesh. 

“Not feeling well?” He sat down beside me and looked over me with a worried expression. 

“Maybe the car sickness is still stuck,” Mikasa reached across the table and set her hand on my fore head. Her relaxed expression quickly turned to worry, “My God, Eren, you’re burning up. I’m taking you to the first aid tent.” 

“No, no, no,” I blurted out louder than I anticipated, “I mean, I think I should take a shower or something.” 

“There is a brook just north of camp, a soak might help you, besides,” Armin suggested as he picked up the pile of the food encrusted plastic plates, “I need to wash these anyway.” 

I looked a Mikasa like a child looks at his mother for permission, “Go,” She motioned, “I’ll tell the others you’re not well. Just catch up when you’re better, okay?” 

I nodded and trailed off after Armin. The fast moving crystal clear water was about two feet deep, two meters wide and smelled almost sweet. I had taken off my shoes and sat at the water’s edge across from Armin who had done the same. It felt so nice, I couldn’t help but groan. Armin laughed, “Are you from the city?” 

“No, we’re from a little town, we were the first stop on the bus route,” I was going to take off my shirt, when I filched from pain and stopped. Armin waded in the water that reached his knees, he smirked and turned away from me, “Soak up, I won’t look.” 

“Thanks,” I slowly pulled my shirt over my head. The motion hurt, but what hurt even more was looking at the deep purple and indigo bruises. I hesitated to take off my bottoms before sitting on the rocky brook floor. The water surged gently against my flesh as if to massage it. I closed my eyes for a moment, only to open them to the sound of Armin whistling as he washed the plates downstream.

“Why do you plant trees?” I asked him out of curiosity. 

“Hmm,” he looked up at the soft green light that filtered through the swaying leaves, “I guess it’s because trees do so much, spend two weeks planting and even long after I’m gone they-“, he paused, “They will still be here.” 

He laughed nervously as he began clawing at the plates again, “Ugh, sorry, it’s stupid I know,”

“No, it’s not stupid at all,” With that said I reached over to the brooks side to pull out a piece of tall thick grass. That’s when I noticed the skinny inch long black leech dangling off of my elbow. I felt my eyes widen as I shrieked Armin’s name. Without hesitation he abandons the plate and rushes to me, “What is it?” I brought my elbow up, his expression quickly relaxed to that of a doctor as he flicked it before gently easing it off. He threw it far down stream with a loud ‘good riddance’, we both started laughing like old friends.

“I hate leeches too,” He giggled as we leaped up the brooks edge, “At least its teeth didn’t sink in.”  
“Yeah,” I laughed, feeling a bit embarrassed. His eyes that were squinted with laughter widened into porcelain plates when his eyes clung on to my hips, “Oh my god, what happened?” I momentarily forgot that I was stark naked, and desperately reached for my boxers.  
“It’s nothing, I don’t even know how it happened,” I fumbled with my belt, “I just woke up like this.”

“That’s not possible,” Armin leaped across the brook to me, “Who did this?” I could hear pain in his voice. This made me feel even worse. The strange fear and confusion rushed back at me, my vision went fuzzy, I could hear Armin talking to me, but the words made no sense. I started panting as the pain rushed to my head, this was no doubt a panic attack. I’d had them many times before, but even if I knew what to expect it scared me to the core. Everything was swirling and became speckled with black, like being in a cage up side-down on a tilt-a-whirl. I need to find out who or what it was that talked to me last night. No matter how much it scared me, I don’t think I can handle not knowing. 

“Eren, come back,” Armin splashed water over my face, violently jolting me awake. I knew it was Armin’s arms around me, but I couldn’t help but to want to fight them off. I tried to shove him away with whatever strength I had, but his arms stayed wrapped around me until my muscles grew weak. Armin’s pale face pieced slowly together above mine, “Eren, can you hear me?” He looked like an angel. 

I licked my dry lips, my voice, like my body, was shaking when I spoke, “Can I rest for a bit?” 

I was curled up in Armin’s lap, I could feel him shifting under me, “Do you want me to get your sister?” 

“No, don’t leave me.” 

“I won’t.”

The sun was well on its way down when I woke up inside a strange tent. I could hear a camp fire crackling and laughter not far away. I was tucked into a sleeping bag, and when I rolled it down the cool air meet me. Just outside of the tent I could see the warped silhouette of a figure, which appeared to be reading with a flash light. 

I crawled out of the sleeping bag and unzipped the tents opening. Armin flicked off the flash light, leaving us in darkness, “how are you feeling?” 

“Like I got ran over by a bus,” I groaned as Armin crawled past me. He laughed, “at least you’re awake. It’s eleven, so you might as well go back to bed anyway.” 

“Dang,” I stretched, “Guess I should head back to my tent-“ He grabbed my arm and shot me a look that could melt bricks, “No, you’re staying with me tonight. If you off and die where even the hell you camped I would feel bad about it. Plus, I had to fight off your sister for a few hours.” 

“What did you tell her?” I was worried. Maybe scared shitless was the right world. I had stopped taking my meds two weeks ago, if she ever found out she would end me herself. 

“I told her and Hanji that you threw up and took a fall, they think its food poising or something, ” He smirked, looking rather proud of himself.

“Who’s Hanji?” I couldn’t recall hearing that name before. 

“Oh, she’s the medic. She came right away when she heard you were sick, she wants to see you first thing tomorrow. She’s um,” he furrowed his brow searched for words, “Interesting, to say the least. Everyone is really worried about you, Eren, even Jean,” 

“Jean?” 

“The whale joke guy, with the hair,” 

“Oh,” I nodded, pondering over why he would care. 

“Anyway, you smell like dirt, these should fit you,” He tossed a pair of swim trunks and a t shirt my way before he turned to exit the tent. 

“Stay, its fine,” I called out. He turned his back anyway, what a strange guy. 

“If you don’t want to tell me what happened that cool, but if you need to talk I’ll listen,” He stole a glance of me out of the corner of his eye before turning back to face the wall. 

“I’m fine really, if I ever find out how it happened I’ll tell you, now let’s sleep, kay?” He groaned at this, as passive as I thought he was when we first met now I could tell he wasn’t the type to give up easy. He un zipped the sleeping bag to make a blanket crawled under it, I quickly joined him. 

“Thanks for today,” I whispered, and instantly felt stupid after saying it. 

“You’re welcome, but don’t ever do that again!” 

“Good night, Armin.” 

“Night, Eren.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I figured that I might as well put this chapter out since it was done. This is my second fanfic, so I would really appreciate and feed back or questions so I can improve. Thanks and Happy Halloween! 
> 
> Expect a little bit of smut in the next chapter *Wink wonk*


	3. Pomegranate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren finally finds out what is in the lake.

The sun was barely creeping up as I woke up from my uncomfortable sleep. I felt something fleshy and warm on my face. My pinched eyes slowly opened to find Armin’s hand gently stroking the side of my face. I looked at him curiously, expecting him to draw back, but instead a gentle smile crept across his face, “You’re really beautiful when you sleep, you know,” His whispered slowly in a soothing voice, “I’m truly jealous of whoever is fucking you.” 

I didn’t know what to say, I was at a complete loss of words. I went still, as I let him have free run of me. His fingers walked down my face, gracing my neck, circling my collar bone before settling on my clothed torso. Each of his light touches sent cracks of energy to my brain. I could feel my heart doing unsteady backflips in my tight chest. I craved contact, I pulled him closer, pressing our foreheads together as my arms draped over his shoulders, sighing deeply as I did so. All his skin was almost steaming, I wondered how long he had been watching me like this before I came to. He sucked in a long breath as I kissed his nose, and I could feel him grinning, 

“You know, I never took you for the nose-kissing-snuggling type,” He whispered into my neck. 

“I never took you for the aggressive type,” I groaned under my breath. 

“What makes you say that?” He giggled mischievously. Both his hands were carefully placed on my ass, rolling my hips closer to him, it wasn’t long before I could feel his wood against my leg. We both sucked in a lung of air on impact. As much as I wanted this, there was a part of me that didn’t. I just met Armin, he seemed like a decent guy, someone I could see myself being friends with for a long-long time even. I didn’t want to turn our relationship, whatever it is, into heartless fucking. It was moving too fast, I tried to voice my thoughts but it barely registered as whimper, “Armin, I-“ 

“RISE AND SHINE, BABIES,” an over enthusiastic voice chimed as it violently kicked the tent. I nearly leaped out of my skin. While Armin, on the other hand, just rolled over and let out a groan of disappointment. 

“Eren, you in there?” another hard kick rattled the tent, “Ereeeeen, wake up.” I still had no idea who it was. And just from the voice alone I had trouble distinguishing the gender. 

“Give me a sec to get dressed,” I sputtered as I fumbled to take off the clothes Armin had lent me and to change into my clothes from the day before. Armin was watching me carefully out of the corner of his eye. While still trying to pull my boots on I shot up and out of the tent. 

The tall and pony tailed figures large hands roughly shook mine as she yelled ecstatically, “A kid in the other camp got attacked by a deer, do you believe that, A DEER? I gotta go there, so let’s do this fast.” She sneered hysterically from behind her glasses. I’m guessing this was the Hanji person Armin was talking about yesterday. She was wearing a lab coat over a yellow blouse and jeans. When she spoke normally her voice was dry and rough like she had been smoking for 40 years. Even so, every now and then it would crack with girlishness. 

Once in the medical tent, she sat me down on a cold steal table.  
“I’m Doctor Hanji, and you’re Mr. Eren Jaeger,” She announced meaninglessly as she rummaged through a heavy leather medical bag. She threw a number of things on the table beside me, before she stopped suddenly and shot me a questioning looking, “That’s right?” 

What, “Um.. yes, mam,” I wasn’t aware that it was a question. She smiled again, as she tightened a cuff around my arm. She stared furiously at the moving gage as it pinched my arm. 

“Armin said that you threw up, and then fell into the stream. Does that happen a lot?” She was holding my mouth open as she held down my tongue with a Popsicle stick. She pulled the stick out of my mouth and took my hand in hers, flipping it over to inspect it, “Does that happen a lot?” 

“I have anxiety problems, I usually get stomach aches when I’m around people I don’t know, maybe the heat too,” I said quietly, I felt stupid, I noticed my hands were shaking from an empty stomach. I started to laugh, “I don’t usually fall into streams though.” I thought it would be funny, but the serious expression on her face said otherwise. She stuck something in my ear quickly and it beeped. She looked at it and nodded.

“Sounds like just a one-time thing. I’d like to take a look at your bruises though, lie on your stomach,” I rolled awkwardly. “Have you been eating well?” she murmured something as she pushed up my shirt. 

“Mikasa says I should probably eat more,” 

“I’m guessing the surface still hurts a bit, does anything else hurt?” She asked quietly, her icy stethoscope pressing against my skin. She must have been getting her face way up in there, I could feel stray strands of hair tickling my skin.

“I had a bit of a headache,” 

She prodded at the bruise. 

“Ouch, hey,” I groaned. 

“Ouch,” She echoed loudly after me as if she’d felt it herself. She shrugged as she started to gather her things, “Your vitals are normal, It’s a bit strange. I don’t want you planting until the 5th,” It was the 1st of July, “After that it’s up to you. I was talking to Reiner, he said that there is a lot of work around camp and in the field you can do. As long as you help, Reiner will cover all your camp costs until you’re well. Eat lots of vitamin C, and talk to Reiner when you get the chance.” I fumbled to catch the pomegranate she threw at me. And with that she exited the tent to disappear into a silver 10 passenger van with a loud shout, “A DEER, EREN!”

She zigzagged down the dusty road as I walked towards Reiner’s camper. I should probably talk to him as soon as possible. I brought my hand to the screen doors handle of open it, when I paused at the sound of low whispering and shuffled moments. The sounds stopped, “I think some ones outside.” 

“Wake up calls not for 40 minutes. You’re just paranoid, we have time,” 

“If-if you say so,” 

He sounded occupied, the last thing I need would be to interrupt him and get on his bad side. I shrugged as I hobbled towards the cook tent, tossing the pomegranate up and catching it as I did so. Blurry heat rose from the tents smoke stack and the smell of cooking food was in the air. I went in between the flaps that were doors. 

“Eren!” a high pitched female’s voice called out to me. Her shoulder blade length blonde hair was drawn into a messy pony tail at the top of her head. Her warm blue eyes squinted into a smile as she motioned for her friend to come over. He was tall, dark, freckled and more noticeably missing an arm. 

“Boy, you’re up early, are you feeling better?” She hugged me, her face pressing into my chest. I was a little bit surprised and embarrassed that people I never met were worried about me

“Yeah,” I scratched the back of my head when she let go of me, “I just need a knife to cut this pomegranate.” 

“I’ll cut it for you,” She snatched it out of my hand and hollered back at the guy who was standing silently smiling, “Marco, could you grab a bowl?” 

“Sure thing,” He handed her a bowl from the top shelf.

“You know, Mikasa has been talking about you nonstop,” The freckled teen said with a gentle grin. 

“Nothing bad I hope,” I laughed nervously. I was trying to focus on his face instead of his lack of arm, but all his freckles kept distracting me. 

“No, no, not at all, she was saying how much she appreciates you coming all the way out here with her. She says you are the best brother she could ever ask for,” 

I’m sure those weren’t her exact words. Even so, I was pleasantly surprised Mikasa was being sociable. 

“I don’t think we really meet,” He added as he extended his left hand to me, “I’m Marco, and this is Christa. We best get acquainted, since I think we all will be spending lots of time together, ” Christa waved from the counter space where she finished cutting and was putting the pomegranate bits in the bowl. 

I awkwardly shook his hand, who knew shaking hands with your left hand was so hard. Christa passed me the bowl of pomegranate and a spoon. 

“It was nice meeting you,” I said as I spun around. They seemed nice. If I wasn’t terrible to talking to people, I might have stayed.

“Come back for a proper breakfast, okay?” Christa called after me. 

“Okay!” I shouted back, though I had no intentions on coming back anytime soon. All of my focus was on that lake and the person who had talked to me the night before last. I crept far away from camp (careful to avoid Armin) to get back to my own tent. It was just as I had left it the night before. It looked so normal that I was starting to wonder if what happened here was just my imagination. I mean, who was I kidding? What was it cocky swamp monster, a poltergeist or what an oversized toad? It seems laughably ridiculous, not even worth investigating. I sat near the water’s edge and blissfully inhaled the sweet scent of the fruit and the outdoors. 

“Oy, what are you eating?” 

I leaped back, nearly throwing the bowls contents over myself. 

“Is that… a pomegranate?” The low raspy voice seemed almost surprised. 

I was too stunned to think, “pomegranate, yeah,” I replied absentmindedly. Though my hazy vision I could see a head peeking out of the water’s surface. What kind of person goes swimming at this time? In a lake this size, the water must be like ice. 

“Why are you swimming this early? You’re going to catch a chill,” I crept towards the water to get a better look at the head. He was swimming so perfectly still, you would think he was standing on the bottom. His drenched jet black army style undercut stuck to his forehead as he raised a thin eye brow to me. His eyes looked bored, no, maybe barely awake and beyond disinterested was a better explanation. Every now and then his pale broad shoulders would poke out of the water, and surround him with ripples. 

“Give me some,” He ordered as he swam closer to towards me. My body felt drawn to him, and without my consent I slowly inched towards him with the bowl of red fruit in my extended hands. He was still glaring at me, when I snapped back to my senses, “No. Why are you in the water? Get out of the water.” 

“Not going to happen, brat,” He sunk back below the water, before emerging again. With both his hands he pushed his hair out of his eyes. His arms caught my attention they were lined with pale scars from tiny paper cuts to full on healed gashes. He looked like he’d been to hell and back. But something about him was so beautiful.

He was stretching his muscular arms over his shoulders. Not bobbing up and down or breaking a sweat like most people would, but completely still and level, “How are you doing that?” 

“What?” He stopped to glare at me with his expressionless eyes. 

“Swimming without your hands like that, there is no way you can touch the bottom,” 

“Tch, give me the pomegranate, shitnugget, and I’ll show you,” 

Going against my will, I grumbled and passed it to him. He quickly took it from me, and stared at it fiercely, before giving the same look to me, “You didn’t eat any right?” 

I shook my head. He took a spoonful of it and almost elegantly shoved it into his mouth. He chewed slowly with his eyes closed, letting out a barely audible sigh. 

I propped my head up with my hands, to watch him eat, you’d think he’d never eaten before, “What’s your name?” 

“Levi,” He replied quickly in between chews, “What year is it?” 

“2013,” It seemed like a strange question, but then again he seemed like a strange guy. He passed the bowl back to me, I set in on the rock, “You had your pomegranate, so show me, how you do the thing,” 

“Get in,” shivers shot up my spine as he drifted away from the edge and motioned me to join him. I hesitated to remove my clothes, discarding them in a messy pile on the grass. I was getting the feeling that this was becoming a terrible idea. I self-consciously slid slowly into the water, it was cold, but not unbearable. 

“Come here,” He drifted further out. I breasted stroked after him. I don’t think I’ve ever been out in the water at this time. The sun was coming through the trees in low red streaks that stained the waters dark surface, it was like swimming in the sky. Once I got within an arm’s length him, he vanished beneath the water.

“Hey!” What a jerk, showing off like that. My scowling was interrupted by a warm current of water flowing up at me and soon from every direction. It seemed to warm my cooling core and make me feel almost weightless in the water. He emerged slowly in front of me. His pale lips moved slowly as he reassured me, “Stop squirming, kid, alright? Just let the water hold you,” 

I shut my eyes and sucked in a mouthful of air before I ceased all movement. Nothing happened. I let out the breath and I opened my eyes to find him watching me carefully, the same way a parents watches their child the first time they get onto a bike without training wheels. I was completely still and level. I couldn’t tear the stupid smile that was growing on my face. 

“Why are you out here?” He questioned as he slowly orbited me in a wide circle. 

“It’s too loud around camp,” 

“How many people are at your camp?” 

“What? You’re from the camp, you should know,” I furrowed my brow. This guy was making no sense. He shot me another glare, and I averted my eyes. Don’t tell me he’s a squatter or something. 

“It doesn’t matter,” his normal expression was softened as he let out a sigh, “About the other night,” He started force himself to speak, “don’t know my own strength I guess.” A flock of birds squawked loudly overhead, there was so many of them it momentarily blocked the sun light, “What,” I shook my head as I backed away from him, “No,” I fell out of the warm water stream into the cold water of the lake. I struggled against the current to get away from him, it hit hard, like white water against my bare skin. I fought it hard, but it kept coming out of no were with incredible pressure. My arms were growing weak with each push forwards. 

“Oy, kid,” He was trying to grab on to me. 

“WHAT ARE YOU?” I screamed at him though coughs. The current stopped and held me in place once more. He grabbed my hand forcefully, his endless smoky eyes pouring into mine. His hand was hot, burning almost, yet what was even more surprising is what he did next. He slid my hand beneath the water’s surface, my knuckles slid against his bare chest and to his stomach. As I touched him I could feel the same sensation lightly tickling my own body. He pushed my hand lower, I was about to shout out wait when my hand met a smooth and hard surface. I pulled my hand off quickly, accidentally scraping him in the process. We both flinched as I felt a tearing pain coming from my abdomen. I brought my hand to my face. It was covered in a silver sheen made up of little bits of scales. 

“I’m a mermaid or a merman if you want to get technical,” He huffed, as he looked to the side. It was hard to believe, but aside from the fact that he was a mythical creature, it made perfect sense. 

“Show me your tail,” I demanded, my voice still quivering. He sunk underneath the water and burst out with all his strength. His back arched gracefully backwards as he flew mid-air like a dolphin. While his upper half was pale, muscular and scarred his lower half was a dark smoky black with scales that reflected every bit of light that hit them. The intersection where his scales met his skin seemed to seamlessly melt into the other. His tail, I had expected to be just a beautiful as the rest of him, but instead it was tattered like a weathered ships flag. 

“Why are you here? How long have you been here?” I whispered to him when he emerged. 

“A long time,” 

“How long?” 

He pushed his hair back, “It’s a long story, If you get me out of here I’ll tell you,” 

There are a lot of vehicles that come in and out of camp, maybe someone can give him a ride, “I’ll ask people at the camp, maybe-“ 

“No,” He put his warm dripping wet hand over my mouth, I could swear that his eyes had the faint glimmer of fear them, “If you tell anyone that I’m here, you’re dead man walking. You understand?” He’s right. I don’t know people at the camp that well, who knows what they might to do. The few people I trust, would I be able to trust them with his life? 

“I’ll get you out of here, no matter what,” I vowed. 

“That’s the spirit, kid. Now, go back to your shitty camp and get me some real food.”


	4. Pineapples

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren meets Mikasas tent mate, and discusses pineapples with Levi.

“I planted 1003 trees yesterday,” Mikasa beamed, she was sitting on the cook tents steel counter as she swung her legs back and forth, “I did the best out of all the newbies.” She seemed really happy, almost too happy. It made me a little uncomfortable. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so giddy,” I was wiping down the oil splattered stove dials, Marco used way to much oil, “You’re like a school girl in love,” I teased her. She was about to punch me, when she stopped herself. 

The tent burst open, a small but built figure stood in the opening, “Mikasa,” She had a heavy Russian accent and her face remained unchanging as she spoke, “You will be ready soon, yes?” 

“Yeah,” Mikasa’s voice cracked, and she cleared her throat, “I’ll be right there, just hanging out with my brother.” 

“Oh?” She came forward, her deep eyes pulled me away from my work, “I’ve heard much about you from Armin and Mikasa. We have not spoken yet.” Despite that I never met her properly until now, she looked really familiar. I squinted at her. The nose, the hair, the dim round eyes, and that short built figure, I knew her from somewhere but I wasn’t able to place her. 

“Do I know you from somewhere?” I questioned her. She looked as puzzled as her face would allow. She brushed a stray hair out of her face, when my eyes caught on her fingers. The thick band around her finger gave her away. I instantly recognized her, “Holy shit,” I walked closer to her, but not too close, “You’re Female-Titan, I mean Annie, you play piano, I follow you on youtube and tumblr,” I tried to contain my excitement, “This is so cool. ” 

She tried to hide her smile, “Meeting a fan out here, I find this a bit embarrassing.” I was going to give her a compliment but there was a call from outside, she looked back, “Sorry, we will talk later, yes?” 

“Yeah, see you,” I waved. 

“Don’t think for’ second, that I won’t out plant you again,” She winked at Mikasa with a controlled smile before making an exit.

Once she was out of the tent I let out a “WOW,” she was a lot different in real life then on the internet, maybe a little awkward and short but still, I couldn’t help but being a little star struck.

“That’s the girl you’re bunking with? She’s-” I turned to Mikasa. She was sitting completely still with her bandaged fingers clasped tightly over her entire face. I poked at her hands, she didn’t budge a centimeter. She stayed completely still, so I did what any good brother would do and started yanking at her hands. 

“What’s gotten into you?” I tugged at her. She was giggling and trying to fight me off weakly with her legs and elbows. I fought back until I had successfully ripped her hands from her face. She was as red as a tomato and looked away from me soon as our eyes met. 

“Don’t tell me,” I gasped putting my hand over my mouth, “You have it bad, don’t you.” 

“Don’t say a word,” She bit her lip and made a half assed swing at me, her face still glowing with embarrassment, “I’ll fucking beat you up.” 

“Dad would kill you if he found out-” 

“I know… but that accent though,” Still sitting on the counter, she pulled her legs into her chest. 

“Yeah,” I pondered over it, “At least you have good taste.” Better than Ymir, that plaid wearing lumber jack of a women who keeps constantly wondering into the cook tent shouting, “Where Christa at?” 

Mikasa picked up the plate of food that was covered in saran wrap, “who’s is this for?” 

“It’s mine, Christa put it aside for me,” I half lied, “Besides, don’t you have some were to be?” I grumbled childishly. 

“Yeah, I’m gunna go chase da booty, virgin,” She took a ring of pineapple from under the saran wrap as she shook her hips on her way out. 

“Tch, lesbian,” I shouted, probably the worst comeback ever and she knew it, I could her laughing outside. Soon as everyone had left to go trekking to the clear cut, I crept away though the camp with the plate to go to the lake. I stood on the side of the lake near my tent, waiting for Levi to appear. It didn’t take long for him to pop up, he motioned me silently to follow him along the edge until we got to a small section of pebbly coastline where he elegantly beached his upper half. I sat down and put the place beside him. He didn’t waste any time digging in. 

“Where do you get pineapples anyway?” He asked as he bit into the pineapple piece carefully. 

“Um, we buy them, they probably come from Asia, South America, California or something, I don’t know,” I scratched the back of my head hoping that he wasn’t just trolling me. But his expression said otherwise.

He looked at the pineapple with genuine disbelief, “Really? So they have ships upon ships of pineapples all year around?” 

“Yeah, and just about every fruit and vegetable you could think of,” I nodded. It seemed so surreal, just sitting here with a fresh water merman who almost killed me – but it felt normal almost.

“And they don’t spoil? That’s incredible,” he whispered in awe before bit into a piece of buttered toast. I watched him carefully, he seemed to be in a better mood than last. Perhaps food is the best way into a man’s heart. Though the silence I asked, “are you the only one in this lake?” 

“EYY, CHICHO, COME ON OUT,” He bellowed into the woods with that stale expression of his, nearly giving me a heart attack. With his free hand he eagerly beckoned for someone to come. I turned my head to the forest and watched for movement. Another merperson? I started to feel the anxiety creep up on me. But it died just as fast as it came as muffled laugh came from Levi. By the time I turned to glare at him, he was looking as bored as usual. 

“Nah, it’s just me here,” 

I sighed with relief, “How long have you been here?” 

He put his index finger up in the air, and looked down until he stopped chewing, “A year before the forest fire.” 

“By yourself for a year, that’s crazy,” No wonder he seems so un sociable, “Where was the fire?” 

“All wood to the north and east of the lake burned to the ground,” I could sense pain in his voice as he added quietly, “I’ve been here for a long long time, Eren,” 

That couldn’t have been possible. That would make him at least 50 or 70 years old even. The man didn’t look a day over 25. How could he live off of just raw fish, birds and kelp? You would think he would have gone completely crazy but then again he has no reason to lie to me. As I looked down at him carving the hash browns into half bite squares he seemed happy, almost. Even though his face was contorted in a way that suggested he didn’t want to be here right now, I got the feeling that instead it was like that because he was experiencing too many emotions at once. Loneliness, fear, gratitude, exhaustion, disbelief. Like how when you mix too many colours it turns grey. 

“I’m so sorry,” I whispered, my eyes fixated on a smooth rock in my hand, “I can’t even begin to imagine-“ 

“Do you always go on like this?” He cut me off with another one of his groans, “it’s no one’s fault, really.” 

“How did you even end up here?” I felt like I was prying, but I couldn’t help myself.

“It’s a long story,” 

“I have time,” I looked up at him as he slid slowly back into the water. 

“You should go find your friends, they’re going to start to worry about you if you’re gone too long. Come back at dusk and I’ll show you, alright?”  
I wasn’t sure what he would show me, but I was more than excited. He drifted below the water before emerging to shoo me away. 

“I’ll get you out of here, I promise,” I called out to him. 

“Yeah, I know, Kid,” Even though he was far away, I swear I could see him smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Am I the only one who things Annie would make a beast Russian pianist? Thanks again for reading


	5. Secrets

When Hanji said there was a lot to do around camp, she wasn’t lying. Dishes to wash, garbage to bag, tiny trees to mist, fruits to juice, tacky 70’s era RV to scrub, camp fire and shit pit to tidy. It was well past noon when my grumbling stomach told me I should take a break. I pulled the kale, turkey, swiss and honey mustard sandwich out of the cook tents cooler that Krista had set aside for me. 

I couldn’t pull my thoughts away from Levi and the lake all morning. How on earth could have got here? Is he an experiment? Is he some sort of Lake Monster? Did he come here on his own? If not, did someone bring him here and why? Are there more like him out there in other lakes or the ocean? Are all mythical creatures real? Ugh, its only midday, I need to work these thoughts off. 

I chugged lukewarm water from a milk jug on the table, before wolfing down the remainder of my sandwich. I’ll go grab some fire wood for tonight’s bon fire, that should take my mind of it. Since no one was around, I tucked the bottom of my pants into my socks before trekking out into the wood. 

Branches, branches, birds, Levi, no, branches, walking, Levi, no, no, branches, soreness, branches, mushrooms, Levi, shade. 

I had gathered as many branches as I could carry, maybe too much. With a single missed step I dropped the entire bundle on the mossy forest floor. I crouched down to gather them, once they were all in my arms I couldn’t find the strength to stand up. I set the bundle down beside me, before laying back and shutting my heavy eye lids. My restless mind caused me to dream.

I could see Levi. We were swimming underwater, no we were swimming in space. There were little white stars and colourful nebulas and planets dancing far in the distance. Even though Levi seemed far away he was somehow holding my hand leading me forwards. 

My voice climbed out of my throat and emerged as an echo, “Where are we going?”

He looked back at me with his heavy lidded expression and said nothing. The daze of it all was wearing off, I could feel my body growing weaker by the millisecond, I was suffocating in the vacuum of space. The beautiful stars and planets disappeared without me noticing and soon he stopped in the complete blackness. 

“Eren,” He hissed, his mouth curling into an excruciating and impossible smile. Horrible slimy green scales were creeping up his torso onto his face. His mouth sprouted crooked shark like teeth, his nose warped into flat narrow slits and the whites of his eyes turned black. I could hear his uneven repulsive breathing, and as he got closer I could feel it on my skin. He was going to kill me or worse, eat me alive. 

“LEVI,” I screeched so loud that it rang in my ears. 

I jolted awake, bonking heads with the stranger above me. I could tell by the blonde bowl shaped head of hair who it was instantly and I wasn’t sure I was ready to talk to him just yet.

“Jeeze, Eren, I thought you were dead,” He huffed as he sat next to me. He was wearing the same clothes as the day before, but he had a series of worn leather belts that entangled his entire body. It must be the planting gear, I guess I haven’t seen it up close yet, but it looked hella uncomfortable. 

“What are you doing sleeping way out here?” He questioned me fiercely.

“I could ask you the same thing,” 

“Well,” He pointed to the pile of dry branches he had bundled up neatly with string, “I got back early, figured I might as well gather some wood for the bonfire.” 

“Yeah same here,” I yawned, before looking at the blinking screen around Armins wrist, I’d been sleeping for 2 hours. Everyone should be coming back from planting soon. 

“Did you clean up the camp site today?” He asked quietly, fidgeting with his shirts hem.

“Yeah, it took for ever,”

“I bet, it looks really good,” He cast his glance away from me as his voice trailed off, “Listen, Eren, I-“ 

“It’s okay,” I was quick to cut him off, “I’ve already forgot about it.” 

“Oh,” He looked disappointed and hurt even, his forced smile and laugh tore my hearts to shreds, “Yeah, me too. Sorry about that, haha, I do stupid things when I’m tired. Since you’re okay, I’m going to take these back to camp,” He stood up quickly with his bundle of thick branches and sped off into the woods. He was going the wrong direction. 

“Hey!” I shouted at him as he flashed in-between trees. He ignored me. I got up from my mossy bed and chased after him, prancing over fallen trees and rocks in the process. Once I got closer I shouted again, he ignored me once more and sped up his zig zaging to get away from me. 

Once I got close enough I reached out to put my hand on his shoulder, “You’re going the-“ He slapped my hand away sharply, I took a step back instantly. When our eyes met, he seemed as shocked at his own actions as I was. I braced myself against tree to catch my breath. 

“Armin, its-“ I started to say though my panting.

He slid down slowly, his knees folding into his chest, “Is it just me, or is everyone gay here?”

“Huh?” I thought I misunderstood him. I had no idea what he was talking about, but I joined him in sitting. 

He sniffled and laughed at the same time as he dragged he sleeve over his eyes, “But seriously though, something about tree planting brings out the gay in everyone. It baffles me.” He’s right, now that I think about it, I can’t un see this fact.

Armin started to laugh, still confused I hesitated to join in and before I knew it we were full on giggling like school girls. Only when he punched me in the shoulder did it burn out into a painfully uncomfortable silence. Suddenly the twig that was poking my in the ankle became very interesting. 

Armin started to chuckle again, “You look like such a nerd with your pants tucked into your socks.” 

“Hey-“ I stammer, trying to find something smart to say back to him. But he points to his ankles and sure enough pants in socks. I playfully kick him. 

“Better than getting lyme,” He laughs as he shuffles to a stand. His tone was much lighter than earlier, I really hope that he sees what good friends we would make. He gathers the bundle of sticks and starts to head back in the right direction. I silently follow him, keeping my eyes on the ground and picking up any branches I see. When we get back to the camp everyone is slowly pouring in. Bandages are getting wrapped around fingers, something is being cooked on the BBQ and the sound of David Bowie coming from an old school boom box spills into the surrounding wood. 

We waste no time arranging the branches in the pit and lighting that sucker up. The tired and sore tree planters with plates in hand gather around the fire and the setting sun lights up the sky. It’s surprisingly pleasant. Everyone is still, some mouthing the words to Heros over the cackling bonfire while others sway back and forth. Armin’s shoulder finds its way to mine, and despite the previous tension we share the silence comfortably. But the calm atmosphere was short lived when Jean and Marco emerge from out of the wood to start wailing the chorus. Jean slamming on the air guitar and Marco doing what could only be describe as interpretive dance.

Everyone joins in the mess of sound and movement, whether they know the words or not. Aaaaand that my que to leave. But unfortunately before I can make it to my feet a hard leather boot is rammed into my thigh. Mikasa throws her arm tightly over me, “See, this is what you’ve been missing while you’ve been out be bear gryllsing in the wild,” She moves her hand slowly in front of my face as if to better display the madness that was taking over the campers. I pealed her off of me, “Thanks for your concern, or dear sister of mine, but I need to go drink my own piss and go skinny dipping.” 

“You’re so gross,” She made a poor attempt to shove me as I got up. I waved to her and Armin as I sunk away from the camp fires warm reach. By the time I made it to the lakes edge the sun was well down and the stars were fighting to peek out from behind the wispy clouds. If the moon wasn’t nearly full, I would have been in complete darkness. 

“Eren, get in,” Levi called for me in that low monotone voice from somewhere in the water. I narrowed my eyes to try to search for him. A flick of his reflective torso gave away his position. He was drifting towards me, his pale skin was glowing with an ghostly grey tint in the moon light.

“Get undressed, and get in,” He repeated, I sensed a hint of annoyance in his voice. I obeyed, and silently stripped down to my boxers discarding all my clothes in the process. Levi seemed to be glaring at the clothes as if they offended him personally, the look was quickly re directed at me, “Fold your damn clothes and loose the shorts.” He seemed a little on edge tonight. I crouched down and folded the clothes to the best of my abilities. My motions where halted when my thumbs came in contact with my boxers waist band.

He scoffed, “They’re just going to smell like a bog if you swim with them on,” I remained still and he sighed again, “I’m a dickless mermaid, numb nuts, I’m not going to rape you.” Still, It felt weird, I slowly pulled them over my feet and lowered myself into the water. I hope that he can’t see the heat that is building on my face. 

“Good boy,” He taunted as he began slowly back stroking out into the water, “See those two dead trees on the east side?” They were quite the distance away but I could make out their slanting dark figures, “We’re going there, think you can make it?” 

“I-I think so,” It seemed much more intimidating being in the water. I would have much preferred to walk around the water’s edge, even if it would have taken an hour. 

“Good, let’s get to it then,” With that said, he dove elegantly under the water, hardly making a ripple. I crawled nosily after him. He was interesting to watch. Unlike all the swimmers I’ve ever seen, he swam without using his arms. They would stay glued to his side as if he didn’t need them at all. They would only break their position to push the hair out of his eyes or to bring himself to a slow. 

Even so, I couldn’t shake that dream I had this morning. This seemed to eerily familiar. Even though he was far away or deep under the water I could feel his presents as if he was behind me, keeping a steady eye on me. If I wasn’t a curious moron I would have gotten my ass back to shore and ask him to bring whatever he wanted to show me there. But it was too late to stop now, he had already halted not far from the shore waiting for me to catch up.  
By the time I got to him my strokes were an uneven mess and my breathing was all over the place to match. A warm current swept underneath of me as if to pull me closer to him. He was only a meter away from me, I could feel his movement like a ghost in the water. His level head and shoulders gracing the surface, sternly he continued, “Now the hard part, how long can you hold your breath?” 

I’m not the strongest underwater swimmer, but I’ve always been able to outlast anyone who challenged me, “3 minutes, tops,” I asserted as confidently as possible. 

“I think can work with that,” He thought it over, he seemed a little wary, “Take a second to relax a bit.” 

“Where exactly are we going?” I was far from relaxed. 

“A cave of sorts,” He said over his shoulder before turning back to me to crack his neck, “I’ll be your eyes, take my hand.” His hand dipped out of the water. I hesitated to take it in mine, but when I did I couldn’t help but noticed how small it was in comparison to mine. Nonetheless it was rough and well-worn in texture. But instead of gripping my hand, he went for the wrist so I did the same. 

“If you feel like you can’t breathe give me a squeeze. You’re just going to have to trust me, alright. Soon as you take a deep breath, we’re going under.” I stared at him, as a desperate attempt to search for any sign on his face that he would want to do harm to me. The cold smoky iris I’ve seen over the last few days have retreated to the outermost edge of his iris, to make room for his dilated pupils. His eyes locked furiously on to mine. I wanted to look away, but I couldn’t bring myself to do so. He inched closer to me, and squeezed my wrist gently, “I won’t let you drown.” 

I nodded. I trusted him, he has no reason to lie to me. With that I pulled as much air into my lungs as possible and he pulled me under the water. His grip was deadly tight as every drop of moon light was smothered out by deepening water column. His aero dynamic body was swimming as fast as a shark, dragging me along his water stream. 

My eyes were starting to adjust to the strange environment. I could see dark outlines of jagged rock walls on all sides. The water down here was warmer, and almost lighter. There was a current fighting against us. Levi’s speed was decreased as he dragged me along. Had he been alone, this probably wouldn’t have been any sort of a challenge. I could feel the air in my lungs being depleted. I shut my eyes tight and squeezed his wrist. 

He stopped in an instant. Still pressing against the current he pulled me closer to him, though yanked would have been a better word. His free hand made contact with the back of my head as he wasted no time closing the gap in-between us. His nose graced mine as the warm sensation of his lips pressed against my mouth. He was kissing me?!? My eyes ripped open to find him looking wide eyed at me. He gave me a sharp look.

The air shot directly into my lungs like bullets. I tried to keep it in, but my body rejected it and I started coughing into him. He held me closer and didn’t break away. He did it again, this time smoother. The hot air rushed into me, snapping me out of the drowning daze I was seeping into. I leaned into him, as he pushed more oxygen into me. It was such a strange feeling, sort of like the high from being pulled from death. When he broke away from me I felt a sharp pang in my mouth followed by the slight metallic taste of blood. He continued pulling me along again.

He was at arm’s length again, the water carried his words from him, “Almost there.” I could feel the weight of the water lighten as we approached our destination. I burst though the surface is a rabid gasping frenzy. Levi, on the other hand, was gurgling and spitting water. 

“Can you swim on your own?” He asked once I’d calmed down, his low raspy voice echoed though the caverns interior. I realized I was still holding his wrist, I dropped it with a splash like a hot potato without saying anything further. 

My eyes searched shapes in the dark. A narrow crack in the ceiling directly above me provided little start light that dissolved quickly. It illuminated the moss covered roots from the trees above that crawled through crack as they searched for water below. In the thin ghostly light, they looked more like tentacles of a creeping alien. 

The dry scrape of a match brought a small flicker of light into my vision, he brought it to an oil lamp that filled the area with a warm steady light. 

“Welcome to my humble palace,” He announced his words bouncing of the proudly of the walls. I couldn’t help but let out a wow. 

The cavern resembled that of an abandon Mayan city. The jagged grey rock that lined the walls was covered in thick green moss that flourished off the dampness. Stalactites of shapes all sizes decorated the ceiling like skeleton chandeliers. The cavern couldn’t have been much larger than a school class room, but was made smaller with the shelves of rock that lined the walls above and below the water’s surface. 

Levi was lying on of these underwater shelves, his eyes beckoned me to come over to him. I sat on the underwater shelf as one might sit on the steps that lead into a pool. My shoulders were exposed above the water while my feet dangled in darkness. I hope there aren’t any leeches here. 

I looked across the cavern and my eyes spotted a dark gaping hole large enough for a person to fit though carved into solid dry rock. 

“Where does that go?” I asked, pointing to it. Levi’s gaze slowly followed my extended arm to the hole.

“That goes to the surface,” 

“What? Why didn’t we just go that way?” I grumbled without thinking.

“How else would I have got to kiss you naked?” He looked over to me smirking like the devil. I felt my face burn and I quickly diverted my gaze, he burst out into childish laughter. 

“You know, you're really fucking adorable when you're flustered,” He laughed whipping the tears out of his eyes, “but really, I don’t even know where that goes anymore, never mind give to directions to find it. You’re more than welcome to leave that way, if you’re brave enough.” Looks like I'll be going that way, I don't think I want to go back under again.  
“It looks like it was made by hand, did you build it?” I pulled my knees into my chest.  


“No, my friend did,”

His friend. That means he came here with someone. 

“Who? Where are they?” I asked sharply, curiosity getting the better of me.

He let out a barely audible sigh as he shifted uncomfortably, “Irwin Smith, he was my lover.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully this is getting better. I'm finally going to make use of the Levi/Irwin Smith tag! Anywhos, thanks for reading.


	6. Irwin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What does the danchou say?

A man. He came here with a man, his lover. I blinked, that was a bit of a surprise, but on top of that the name sounded horribly familiar. 

“Irwin Smith,” I thought out loud, rhythmically tapping my fingers in my cheek “Is it possible that I would have heard of him?” 

Levi leaned back, behind his hair he looked proud, “He was a commanded the U.S.S Titan and her crew back world war two,” he paused to gage my reaction before slipping in, “It doesn’t even bother you that I had a man for a lover?” 

The last bit caught me off guard almost as much as the first, “No? It’s a common thing now in days, it doesn’t bother most people. My sister is even dating a girl. And THAT Irwin Smith?! That’s incredible.” I’m not much of a history buff but I could recall this one. To think that I was hanging out with a man who knew him on that level was unbelievable. Perhaps I was being too lax before, I shouldn’t be talking to Levi like I would talk to a school friend, he’s probably old enough to be my great grandfather after all. 

He pulled his fist out of the water to push back his hair, “I like this time period. Tell me what you know about Irwin Smith, humor me.” 

“Well,” I pooled all the information I could gather in my mind, “In the text books they say that he was well respected by his troops. He never lost a battle. Some people even swore that he could see the future. I remember we watched one of his speeches in class, he was a really great speaker. Plus he had really cool eye brows,” I said this all in one breath.

Levi laughed at the last part, “It’s a bit queer, hearing about him like this.”

“Oh,” I was blushing, his laugh was horribly cute, “I’ll stop then.” 

“No, no, tell me more. This is fun. Do you know how he died?” His tone was lighter than I’ve ever heard it, despite the grim conversation. Perhaps he was just grateful for the company. 

“No one knows what happened to him. After he and his men took back Shiganshina shore they were planning on coming back home, but they were never seen again. No distress signal, no anything. Only last year did they find the wreckage in the middle of the ocean,” I looked over at him, our eyes met, I was about to take a risk, “But I have a feeling you know.” 

“I’m impressed, kid, you’re spot on with everything,” he pushed me playfully, but it was obvious that it was troubling him, “I was on board when the ship sunk. We hit a mine and blew a hole in the hull. She took water instantly, and before I was able to escape the holding bay nearly everyone had drown. Except Irwin,” He looked up at the ceiling, his words crawled with a sad reminiscence, “He was floating on debris in the red water. The fucking bastard was missing his arm at the shoulder and was bleeding out. It took nearly two days for me to pull him to a small island. I’ve never seen anyone so pale. I thought he was going to die, but somehow he pulled though. 

While he was recovering and went back wreck site to gather any supplies I could. I managed to get an inflatable boat and we went to the nearest coastal city get him medical attention. There he told me he never wanted to go back to his old life, he didn’t think he could face the shame of living while he crew perished,” He let out a pained sign as he turned around to open metal storage container with a red cross printed on it. He produced a sepia picture in a heavy frame and passed it to me, he looked in the other direction when he spoke, “We took that on the beach the day before we left,” 

The figures where situated on a beach, with a dramatic sun set behind them Irwin was wearing a pale dress shirt, the right sleeve blowing weightless in the wind. He was holding a beer, and looked over his dark aviators at the photographer with a grin. Beside him a smaller dark haired man was seated on a beach towel with a beer in each hand with a relaxed expression. I pulled the picture closer to my face. No. It wasn’t possible. 

“That’s you in this picture,” I pointed at it, my finger nail clicking rapidly on the glass, “You have legs.” 

He took the picture from me and set it in the box, “It’s complicated.” 

“What the hell? I’m so confused, you have legs in that picture, but you don’t have them now,” My mind was running faster than my mouth could speak, I was tripping over my words, “Tell me, how is this possible.” 

\---

“We’ve been expecting you, Sir,” The young and well-dressed butler smiles as he closes the door behind you. The large marble foyer floors click beneath your polished shoes. The room is impressive to say the least. The walls display picture from every era and nation, while the crystal chandelier hangs low at the top of the elegant stair case. You peer around, looking for your goal - as nice as this place is, you didn’t come here just for the decor. 

“Sir?” The butler calls to you again, holding a wooden hanger, “The Governor is in the parlor with a guest at the moment. We were not expecting you this early, would you like me to take your coat and make you a drink while you wait?” 

“No,” Your voice echoes with a fierce authority, “You must understand, I am pressed for time, take me to him.” 

The butler looks surprised at first, but his face relaxes into a smile again. He knows who you are, and to disobey you would be a crime, “Yes, my apologies, Sir. Right this way, Sir.” He leads you quietly and swiftly up the dalmatian marble staircase. You can’t help but feel as if he was originally trying to delay you. The white double doors lead into a well decorated room. The dark walnut paneled walls are blocked out with shelves full of trinkets and curiosities from all over the world. While the elegant furniture sits in immaculate condition around a fire place. The butler opens another set of doors and you hear the click of a pool cue to an ivory ball. The room goes silent as the butler departs, leaving you alone with the Governor and his guest. 

“Commander Smith!” The chubby man throws his hands up in the air as he rushes over to shake your hand, “What a pleasant surprise.” His guest, who’s name you don’t trouble yourself with asking comes over to you, he’s wearing a shirt and striped waist coat paired with pants too large for him. He seems star struck as he firmly shakes your hand, “Pleasure to meet you,” He says with a poorly rolled cigarette dangling out of his mouth. 

“I understand you have something that might be valuable to me,” You cut right to the chase. The nation is about to go to war at any moment. 

“Yes, follow me,” The Governor invites just before shooting a glare at the man in the waist coat. 

He walks slowly down the carpeted corridor of doors, “Are you a collector of oddities, Commander Irwin?” He says in the tense silence. He is annoying you with his slow pace. 

“No,” You reply frankly, “I don’t have time for such things.” 

He furrows his brow, seemingly just annoyed with you as you are with him, “Is that so. Why are you inquiring about this then?” 

You sign, stopping in your tracks, “We are a nation at war, Governor. This could be the key to winning what lies ahead. If you don’t mind, I’m running behind schedule and my men are waiting for orders outside, please take me to him.” He nods without saying anything further.

At the end of the hallway he opens a double door and the weight of warm salty air hits you. You’re eyes meet the thick glass wall of an aquarium that takes up the opposite wall from the door. A series of red padded benches are lined up in front of it. You’ve never seen an aquarium this big, surely a whale could fit in here. He sits on the bench, waiting for you to join. Fish and sea creatures of all colours and sizes torpedo behind the glass. You stare into it, eager to see what you’ve come for. 

“Mermaids aren’t like they are in the story books, Commander Irwin,” He speaks proudly in a rehearsed way,” I’ve had the opportunity of meeting 3 in my life time, and I can tell you this one is the least pleasant. I would advise you to keep a distance from him, as he has been known to, well, pull in guests in the pool for fun. I have told him you were coming, I worry that this isn’t the best job for him. He’s not the trust worthy type,” He nudges you as he whispers,” Perhaps other uses are better for him, you know what they say about mermaids.” 

“No, what do they say,” You ask bleakly, you never knew mermaids were real until last week. You just want to take it and leave. You can get information later. 

His voice becomes heavy and exaggerated to further annoy you, “Mermaids lure you in with their eyes, when you touch them you can feel the exact same sensation on your own skin, as if you are touching yourself as another person. If they like you enough they turn into humans and you can guess what happens from there. But they can’t simply turn back; they go feral,” He makes gestures with his hands, “Their teeth go pointed like a shark, their eyes go wide a dinner plates and their skin go slimy and bumpy like a toad. If you don’t get away quickly enough, they will kill you.” 

“I don’t plan on the mermaid becoming fond of anyone and turning human. That would be a waste,” You stand up and the Governor joins you. 

“They don’t need to be fond of anyone, they can turn at any time you like, I’ll take you to him, be warned.” You don’t like this man one bit, but you’re in no position to argue. He walks towards a concealed door next to the one that brought you hear. You walk down the steep wooden stairs. Before you get to the bottom you can hear the loud rude sounds of jazz blaring on the other side of the door. 

When he opens the door slowly, your eyes widen. It’s an ancient Roman bath. The entire room is covered in sky blue tiles and vivid mosaics depicting great battles and mythical creatures. The columns that tower on all sides are made of solid marble and are covered in wavy shimmers of light reflecting off the pool. There is a splash at the far end, and the raging jazz comes to a grinding stop. 

You push past the Governor holding the door to rush to the pool. A dark haired figure is drifting towards you. He has such long hair drawn in a loose pony tail that for a second you mistake him for a woman. As he pulls himself to the pools edge you finally get a good look at him. He looks like he is in poor shape. His collar bones are very visible, he moves stiffly, he has dark circles under his eyes, and probably from the absence of sun his skin lacks any colours of life. 

You pull out your note book to jot down your observations. 

_Pale, sickly, thin, needs hair cut_

“Irwin Smith,” the husky toneless voice pulls you from your writing, “Have you come to collect me?” 

“Collect?” You don’t want to admit it, but you’re a bit flustered, though you know better than to allow him to see it, “I suppose, I wish to employ you.” There is a creaking of wood as the Governor takes a seat to better observe your conversation.

He laughs lowly, “That’s a new one,” even though he speaks calmly, you can sense hostility in his voice, “The bastard didn’t tell me anything about you, or what you want with me. Other than you want me for undisclosed purposes. ” 

“I’m a navy commander, I think you can be of great use for the cause,” 

He scoffs, his deep eyes look disdainfully at you, “The cause? I don’t know if you noticed, but I’m not like you. Wars between humans are no concern of mine.” 

“Surely you’ve had a job before?” You ask lightly. His snarky and disinterested attitude reminds you of how you were when you were young. Just by looking at him you assume that he can’t be much younger than yourself.

“People aren’t too quick to hire folk with tails,” 

_Never been employed, attitude problem_

You scribble this down. You wish that you had prepared some questions before hand, instead of going off the fly like this. You flip the page in your note book as you straighten your uniform. 

“Can I bum a cig?” He asks with a sigh, he gestures to your breast pocket. You pull the box out and search for the lighter in your pocket. You ignore the advice you were giving as the close the large distance between the two of you. His eyes stay fixed on you as you light the cigarette between his lips. He pulls the smoke into his lungs before he lets out a low moan and sinks his head, “I forgot how wonderfully shitty these things are.”

You sit down on the tiled floor in you uniform, “Do you mind if I see it?” 

He nods, and passes the cigarette to you. His thin torso strains as he pulls himself out of the water. His thin arms quiver to support his weight, he loses his grip falls back in. You want to reach out and pull him up, but after what the Governor told you, you hesitate. Alone and with shaking arms he pulls himself out, his long dull grey tail sliding up behind him. It looks nearly metallic like some sort of buffed steel one would find on the deck of your ship. His torso is marked up with scars. You’re mesmerised as your mouth moves on its own, “May I?” you ask in a small whisper. 

He extends his hand to you, you wonder why until you feel the hot ash sear your fingers. As you pass it to him, he nods and looks away. You reach out slowly and run your middle finger where the scales melt into the skin. You can feel an electric spark running up the same location on yourself. It feels amazing. The sensation is unlike anything you’ve ever experienced, you could see how someone could become addicted to it. You pull your hand away quickly, as if you took too much already. 

_Dull grey scales, scarring on torso, low strength, ?parallel sensations/defense mechanism?_

“What kind of work will I be doing?” He asks limply. 

“I can’t tell you here,” You look at the Governor out of the corner of your eye, “but soon as we get you to better health we will start the training process. Soon as we brief you and work out a salary, of course.” 

“I don’t have any use for money,” He turns to slide back into the water.

“Wait,” you call out to him, he pauses to look at you coldly, “Could I see you in human form?” 

For the first time he shows emotion. He looks frightened as his mouth falls open as if to say something then it closes with a swallowed sigh. He pushes his cigarette into the tiles, provoking a groan from the Governor. He turns away from you, lying on his stomach you watch his back muscles tense up one by one. You’re not sure what’s going to happen, so you get to your feet and take a step back. 

His hands curl into fists and he grits his teeth. As his dull tail emits a pale yellow glow, you watch helplessly as his body contorts painfully in impossible ways. The glow gets brighter as he makes a poor attempt to muffle a throaty cry. The tail splits before warping into two thin legs. When it’s over, he lies on his back panting with is arm covering his face. The Governor gives a standing ovation, you can’t help but hate that man more. 

“It’s painful?” You close the distance between the two of you. 

He is half smiling, it throws you off guard a bit, “Like you wouldn’t believe,” He is stark naked as stands up to meet you. He’s short, really short. You pull out your measuring tape almost too quickly and begin taking measurements. It’s not an excuse to touch him, really; it’s for the record and the tailor. If he is going to be a solider, he will need a uniform, of course. His wrist, his inner thigh, his hips, his neck, and his shoulders.

You clear your throat, “If you have belongings you wish you bring, I’ll have my men gather them before we bring you up,“ 

“I don’t have anything, send your men down here in 20 minutes, no sooner,”

You extend your hand towards him, “Glad to have you aboard-,” you pause.

“Levi,” He gives your hand a firm shake, a hint of a hopeful smile plays out on his lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay for historical inaccuracies! Thanks again to my subs and readers! If you see any weird mistakes feel free to point them out! I'm new at this and all feed back is appreciated :)


	7. Holy water

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Eren leaves the cave he ends up having more questions than answers.

He reached behind me to turn down the lamp to a small glow, just barely enough to see features on his face. His shoulder brushed the side of my head, and for a second I could smell him. He smelled of fresh water, warm green plants that grow in summer and a hint of something else that I couldn’t quite place.

“I can turn human for a short period of time,” He dug at his immaculate fingernails, as he settled back down, “Maybe an hour at most until it becomes unbearable. My mobility with legs its shit, and transforming to and from isn’t much fun either.” 

“It takes a lot of energy? What happens if you stay like that for too long?” My brain was running faster than my mouth could speak. I wish I had a pen and paper, the better I understand this the sooner I can form a plan to get him out of here. 

“One thing at a time, kid,” He groaned, though he didn’t seem annoyed, “During transformation, It feels like all your skin is being torn from your body. It only lasts 10, or 20 seconds but its excruciating. When I stay human or am out of the water for too long, it’s like,” he tapped his fingers on his collar bone as he searched for words, “It feels like your skin is suffocating, like you’re covered in paint and breathing in the fumes. But sometimes,” he let out a low sigh, “It’s got to be done.”

“Oh jeeze,” I frowned as I knitted my brows, “You’re a really tough guy, way more tough than I’ll even be.”

“Oy, don’t say that about yourself,” He spoke sternly, he looked me in the eye as he continued, “I know that I barely know you, but I can tell you’re as tough as anyone. Heck, you trusted me, both a stranger and a mythical creature, to drag you under water to a god damn cave, and I know that you’re smart enough to get me out of here and brave enough to exit though that hole over there. Just have a little faith in yourself, kid.”

My cheeks where burning like nuts. I don’t think that anyone has ever said something like that to me (sure as hell never my dad). You’d think that I would feel proud, uplifted or something, but instead I just felt oddly embarrassed and at a loss for words. His eyes were still on me, I probably looked like an idiot so I nodded and quickly added, “T-thank you, that means a lot, sir.” 

“Sir?” his tone had a hint of surprise, “why so formal?” 

“Uhh, well,” I fumbled with my words, I’m pretty sure the water is boiling around me, “If you did the things you said you did for Irwin that makes you really important, nation’s strongest solider,” I re thought it with more sureness, “no, humanity's strongest soldier. Lord only knows what could have happened if the other guys won.” 

He was silent for a moment, a small grin tugging at the corner of his mouth, “humanity's strongest soldier, huh? I rather like that,” as if to shrug it off, he added, “I like the way to think, kid. I am officially putting you in charge of writing my biography.” I chucked.

“Say, Levi,” I asked in the silence, “something has been bugging me, when I scraped you, I could feel the same thing on me, but my skin is fine. Why is that?” 

“That’s a good question, if I find out I’ll tell you,” He seemed quick to evade subject and said nothing further. 

“Can you feel what I can feel?” 

“No,” He snapped sharply. It was clear he didn’t want to talk about it, I’d better drop the subject. If it is true, I wonder how he managed to get so many scars if everyone who inflicted pain on him also inflicted it on themselves. Surely if everyone who stabbed another person also stabbed themselves that would discourage people from doing such things and probably lower crime rates. 

“Levi,” I asked lightly, “If you never did what you did for fame or money, what made you do it?” 

He slowly opened his mouth as if to say something, and then shut it with a sigh, “Irwin, I guess. He pulled me out of a bad place when we first met. He gave me a purpose when I thought I had none-“He scoffed rushing back to his normal slightly annoyed tone, “I can’t believe I’m spilling my guts too nosey little brat like you,” He scooted off it rock and dove into the water, “Speaking of little brats,” he shouted once he emerged from the blackness, “I’m sure its past your bed time, you’re going to catch a chill if you stay in this sinking water for a minute longer.” 

“Okay, okay,” I groaned as I got into the water and drifted towards the exit, when I got closer to him get drove as if to avoid me. Once I was out of the water I looked back at him, “What do you want for lunch tomorrow?” 

“You got tea by chance?” He perked up a bit. 

“Yeah, you bet, how do you take it?” 

“Plain. Straight out of the pot is good,” 

“Got it,” I smiled as he gave me an approving look, “I’ll come back soon.” 

I made my way into the person sized hole, without saying anything further. The cold bed of clay met my bare skin as I pressed forwards, and upwards. Even if it’s not solid rock, this would have taken a long time even with the proper tools. Besides the bits of earth and roots that spilled though some cracks, the entire inside was smooth to the touch. When I reached what, judging by the smell of fresh air, could only be the end, I was met by a mound of damp earth that I was forced to dig though with my hands. My nails came in contact with a heavy wooden door, I pushed it open (with quite a bit of force) before I burst to the surface. The moon gave me enough light to see around. 

The trees thick leaves rustled in the wind, and so did my bare extremities. I better run back before I actually do catch a chill. In the process of running back I tripped over something jutting out of the ground and fell to the forest floor in a mangled mess. I grumbled as I crawled to my feet, looking back to where I walked, I was lucky to only catch the edge of it. 

It was a room sized rectangular space with rotting support beams that stretched over a shallow damp and rocky pit. It must have been the foundation of a small house at one time. Blackened and rotting boards of pine lay scattered around the area and in the pit. Shivers shot up my spine, there was something I didn’t quite like about it. I was too cold and too tired to give it another thought, so I rushed back to my tent to sleep.

I got up early the next morning to think of a plan to get Levi out. The only obvious way out of the camp was with a car, and conveniently enough neither Mikasa or myself have a licence. Even if we did have a car and a license, how could we move him with enough water? For god sakes, I don’t even know how far it is to the next town. If I was going to get anywhere with this, I would have to get some help. 

“Armin,” I whispered-yelled as I pawed at the small tent, “Armin,” there was a moan from inside followed by the entrance been un zipped, “what is it, Eren?” Armin groaned hoarsely as I crawled in. 

“I have a, uh,” I should have given this a little more thought, “a theoretical question to ask you.” 

Armin lay back down propping his head up with his crossed arms, and gave me tired a go on look. 

“Okay, uh, let’s say that you found the fountain of youth in the woods and you wanted to transport the water out of the province or to the nearest town at least. How you go about it?” I made a forced half smile. Armin raised an eye brow to me and sat up, “Eren,” he dragged out like a scolding parent, “What did you do?” 

“Nothing, I swear. Its theoretical remember,” 

“Well, in that case,” He resumed his lying position, his soft expression tightened with thought, “How much are you transporting?” 

“Let’s say enough for two people to bathe in,” 

“Hmm, okay,” He made squishy sounds in his cheeks, “I’d say get everyone to give you their milk jugs that they drink out of in the field, fill them up and throw em in the back of the truck-“ 

“That won’t work,” I interrupted, “It needs to be all together in a tub or something,” 

“Why are you asking me this anyway? I get the feeling you’re up to something,” He accused, his eye narrowing to better read my face. 

“Me, no,” I laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of my neck, “It was in a book, of quizzes and things,” this is not going well. I’m a shit liar and he knows it. 

“I could probably help you if you read it from the book, the answers probably in the back any-“ 

I cut him off, “It’s in my tent,” 

“There is no rush, go get it.”

“Or maybe Mikasa has it, I don’t know what bag it’s in, I brought it for the ride but I forgot to read it,” 

He raised an eye brow with suspicion before shutting his eyes to think again, “you want to transport a bathtub sized amount of water from out in the woods somewhere and get it on the road,” he mumbled to himself his voice full of thought, “but not in jugs.” He was silent for a moment

“Well,” he exclaimed, “you could drain and refill the water truck with your holy water, or whatever. It’s not that big of a truck either, just get it as close to the water source as possible and run a hose, I’m pretty sure that hose can run the length of this country-“ 

“Thank you, Armin! You’re a genius,” I punched him hard in the shoulder. 

“I know,” he groaned, rubbing his arm with a sour expression, “you seem in better spirits, are you going to plant with us today?” 

Planting. I’d been completely side tracked by the Levi thing that I completely forgot the reason I came out here. I definitely do feel better, that’s for sure. 

“Yeah, count me in,” I smiled, before I got that chance to get up Armin pulled me back down. 

“We got at least,” he looked at his watch that was lying beside him, “two hours until we can get out in the field, I’ll tell you everything you need to know about tree planting.” 

For the next hour and a half I listened to Armin’s in depth guide to planting trees. He told me everything I needed to know any more in such a way, that you’d think the man gave presentations for a living. Besides the slight bit of sexual tension, it was perfect. Once that was done he and I (reluctantly) went back to my tent where he carefully explained all my gear to me. With proper clothes on, I pulled the bulky leather harnesses over my clothes and we headed back to the camp. 

It was already bustling with people, some who were leaving already, when I sat down at the table. 

“Hey, Eren,” Mikasa waved from the cook tent, 3 plates delicately balanced in her hands and for arm, “Either you’re into bondage or is that planting gear you’re wearing?” She smirked as she placed a plate veggie omelet and toast in front of me. I wasted to time to tear it apart. The third plate was for Annie, who sat a far distance from the two of us. She did however get closer when Mikasa pulled her by her hood. 

“Very funny,” I replied with a full mouth, “I’m going to plant with Armin on the mountain side.” 

“On the mountain?” Mikasa exclaimed, an undertone of worry seeped into her voice, “because of the terrain, I here, it’s harder to plant up there than in the flat clear cuts. You’re going to get hurt or tire yourself out up there with just Armin-“ 

“But you do get paid more,” Annie added casually, spooning egg into her mouth. Mikasa shot her a sharp look, which said ‘don’t encourage him’. 

“That’s right,” I stacked our plates, “I’ll be fine, don’t worry, okay?” 

“Just don’t overdo it,” Mikasa grumbled, downing the rest of her orange juice in one gulp. I could see Armin bouncing on the balls of his feet waiting patiently for me at the supply tent. His face broke into a smile when I approached him and shouted, “Let’s do this.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the ass long update!


End file.
